Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 12:58:03 -1000 From: MARK SHORT (MARKESHORT@worldnet.att.net> Subject: Introduction & Aiea Loop Rescue
Aloha!
My name is Mark Short, I work as a loan officer at Honolulu Mortgage, have a wife, kids ages 16,14,11,8&5 and a Rodegian Ridgeback dog.
Not being a Super Hiker yet, my interest lately has been on overnights. I can take slower kids or go farthur with faster kid or solo. Of course the challenge is finding a level non rocky/rooty cleared area to set up our tiny tent. To solve this problem I' ve just purchased a Jungle Hammock. The other problem is water sources (I guess I could always filter & treat mud puddles). Wing wrote about Papali-Castle on 8-16 that looks interesting for fast kid & myself (except for my not being a Super Hiker).
Aiea Loop was the last hike my wife was on (easy hike leave cell phone in car). Fast kid & myself were on mountain bikes, wife was with 11 yr old. Just about 1/2 way along loop, where down hill starts, wife is standing still, then for some reason takes on e step & slips. I hear loud crack & she is in much pain. Fearing the worst I get her comfortable, tell her & 11yr old to stay put. I'll catch up w/ fast kid & have him go to car to get cell phone in case we need help. Of coarse by the time I catch up he's already at top near car. I tell him to ride back to mom & tell her not to move, I've put bike in car & got cell phone & will be right there. I take off jogging to catch up. When I catch up they are now more than 3/4 done and way down the hill. this means it is now closer to continue, even with the climb out, which I was not looking forward to. It also means she was walking without splint or anything. So I made a splint and we continued. As we were walking (slowly, with fast kid & I providing support) we noticed the fire rescue helicopter circling over the trail. We talked about how someone else must have been hurt or needed rescue. About 1/3 up the ending climb, a bunch of firemen were coming down and they asked 11yr old (now in the lead) if he saw a lad y that was hurt on the trail. He said no he hadn't seen anyone. They got to us & said "your'e the one we're looking for!". We said "We didn't call! We can make it! We're almost there!" They were real nice guys & said someone else called, they were already there so might as well use the helicopter & ambulance. Basket came down (rotors of helecopter only 1 foot from trees had me & firemen on the ground thinking the "rescue" would kill us all) wife went up. I caught up at Kaiser (all day catching up!) they s ent her home with splint saying only small chip. Two days later changed their mind & said both lower leg bones had blown apart & did emergency surgery within 20 minutes of arrival. Funny to was Kaiser at first refused to pay for ambulance, since it "wasn' t an emergency". Lessons learned: 1.bring cell even on easy hikes. Even though we didn't use it, good to have if things got worse. 2. If told to stay put - stay put. Question raised?: Is it O.K. to refuse rescue?